Refrigerating apparatus.



' 4 "0.. 629,341. Patented Jul 25, I899.

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citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in' Refrigerating An paratus and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to refrigerating apparatus, and has for its object to provide an improved system which shall be simple and cheap in point of construction and economical and eflicient in point of operation; i

To these ends my'invention-consists of the novel combination of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claim;

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like notations refer to like parts throughout the several views.

. Figure 1 is a sectional elevation through the preferred form of my apparatus with some portions broken away. 'Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective showing one of the'parts or sections of the circulating-circuit detached. Fig. 3 is a view, in horizontal section, partly on the linew m and partly on the line 'y y ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail on a larger scale showing in horizontal section one of the sections of the circulating-circuit on the line y y of Fig. 1;v

a of the primary refrigerant to the secondary or circulating refrigerant. The said tank 1 is located at a higher level than the medium, such as the air in a storage or other room 2, which is intendedtobe cooled. The primary refrigerant 3 maybe a mixture of salt and ice, as shown in "Fig. 3, or may be any other suitable freezing mixture adapted to produce the cold desired. Thesecondary orcirculating refrigerantetmay beordi'narybrineor any other suitable nonfreezable liquid. This secondaryrefrigerant circulates through an endless'circnit, the up- ;than the tank 1. --'This circulating-circuit may take any suitable form adapted ,tothe purpose, but should, preferably, have extended surfaces in its upper portionv subject to the'refrigerant inthe tank 1 and extended surfaces in its lower portion applied to cool the air or otherv surrounding,inedium,-sucl1 as water-,to whichthe cold is intended to be applied, In the preferred form of my apupper sections 5 and lower or cooling sections 6 made up of sheet metal into the form of thin shells or hollow slabs The side walls of these cellsfiand 6 are shown as connected tions 5'are providedwith marginal flanges 8,which Work between the lipsv ofrsuitable guide-lugs 9, fixed to the interior walls of the tank 1. These guides 9 are so disposed as to permit the saidupper shells 5 'to be inserted in and "removed from working position endwise and to hold the same propthe tank 1 for the proper application of the refrigerant or freezing mixture 3, as best shown in Fig. 3. The lower shells or coolingsurfaces 6 are exposed within the air or other medium to be cooled-in any suitable Way. For example, they are shown set edgewise within the storage-room '2 for cooling the air. A pipe-section 10 connects the lowe'r'end of operating cooling-section or shell 6 at the the opposite and highest'end'of'said coolingsection or'shell 6 to the'highest'point of the upper section or shell 5 most remote from the shown as provided with an extension 12, ex-

and contraction of the brine or circulating liquid twithin the circulating-circuit. The

paratus I provide acirculating-circuit having outlet-pipe 10. The pipe-sectionll is also perpart of which circulatingoircuitis subject to the primary refrigerant 3 within theitank 1 and the lower portion of which circulating circuit isex posed within the medi u m intended to be cooled thereby-as the air,forexamp'le-'- 1 in .the storage or other room 2 at a lower level bystay-rivets'l for giving to the same the. requisitestrength. The upper shells or secerly spaced apart from each other within each upper section 5 to the lower end of a co lower level, and a pipe-section 11 connects tending upward beyond thelevel at which the pipe 11 taps the shell 5 onthe outside or the tank 1 to'pro'vide space for the expansion IOO walls of the tank 1 shonldjof'course be com-Q gravity. It is also obvious that a multiplicity m of independent circuits for said secondary refrigerant 4 are provided, all of which have the largely-extended surfaces afford ed by the shells 5 at the upper level subject to the action of the primary refrigerant 3 within the tank 1, and all of which have largely-extended cooling-surfaces afforded by the shells 6 expesed at the lower level for cooling the air or other surrounding medium desired. These independent circulating-circnits are a convenience in point of simplicity of construction and ready adaptation to a variation in capacity according to. the requirements of the case, and are also an advantage for the better action of the apparatus in that the cireulation may be more or less rapid in the different circuits, according to the amount of heat absorbed from the surrounding media by the cooling-surfaces or shells 6.

The circulating-circuits may be filled with the brine or other non-freezing liquid 4 once for all, and the same will last for an indefinite period, as the only loss would be from leakage. Hence after the apparatus is set in operation it is only necessary tomaintain the supply of ice and salt or other suitable freezing mixture for action, as the primary refrigerant 3 within the tank 1. It must be obvious, therefore, that in localities where ice is abundant and cheap the above-described apparatus affords a comparatively economical system for cooling purposes. 7

In all respects, except as to the form of the surfaces of the circulating-circuit sub ect, respectively, to the primary refrigerant within the tank 1 and exposed for cooling purposes at a lower level, the form of apparatus shown in Fig. 5. is identical with the form already described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. said extended surfaces of the circulating-circuit within the tank 1 are afforded by pipe stacks orcoils 14L. Similarpipe stacks or coils could also be used for the cooling-surfaces exposed at the lower level in the same way as the shells 6 within the storage or other room 2 for cooling the air or other surrounding media.

By actual usageI have demonstrated the eflicieney and the economy of the form of apparat us illustrated for such localities as the northwestern part of the United States-like Minnesota, Wisconsin, &7C.'W1le1'6 natural ice is abundant and cheap.

It will be understood, of course, that the details of the apparatus might be varied in many ways Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The expression independent circulatingcircuits as herein used indicates circuits that do not communicate with each other, but, on the contrary, permit the secondary refrigerating fluids to circulate independently therethrough.

What I claim, and desire to secure byLet ters Patentof theUnited States, is as follows:

A. refrigerating apparatus comprising an elevated tank or receptacle for the application of the primary refrigerant, and a series or multiplicity of independent and non-communicating circulating-circuits for the sec ondary refrigerant, each circuit having an upper portion subject to the action of said primary refrigerant within said elevated tank, and a lower portion exposed at a lower level for cooling purposes, substantially as described:

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two. witnesses.

. I MADISON COOPER, JR;

Witnesses:

.IAs. F. WILLIAMSON,

B. B. NELSON.

In the form shown in Fig. 5 the. 

